Little Reminders That Keep You Grounded

Corporate America does some strange things sometimes.

I have worked longer than any other company at the place I am. The telecommunication industry has drastically changed over since 1986 and I have been a part of the ride since last 1996. And while I have had my office at the same location for all these years, my company name has changed so often we no longer get business cards. It does seem that things have settled because we have been a part of Verizon since January 2006.

We had heard it was coming and this past week it did. Tulsa offices were not in compliance with company standard. I mean, the individual work spaces were larger than the company's policy said we needed in order to do our job and to have the job title we have. This meant that some people with hard-walled offices were being moved to high-walled cubes of a smaller size, those of us with high-walled cubes were being downsized by a foot in each direction. And soon, every person will have a foot or so taken from their workspace!

This is understandable in places like, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and other high rent districts. But Tulsa, Oklahoma. Verizon owns the building we are in. Because of downsizing through all the acquisitions we have a lot of empty space. Now we will have more. All this moving requires us to move from our current space, rewiring of the office, moving back in.

The election of our new president did not go the way I wanted this last week. The financial meltdown of the last couple of months has not set well with me. I am not a little concerned with job security but there is not a lot I can do about it.

I heard this week of the deaths of three people and critical illness of one other who have been significant in my life.

Life has not seemed quite fair this week.

Anyway, back to this move. We have rearranged workspace several times but this time, since we are downsizing, I decided on this move to rid my workspace of clutter. I brought home a collection of coffee cups I have been given by people from trips they have taken and vendors who have called on me and as reminders of events in my life. I am not sure I will have the shelves in my new workspace. As I was fuming about this chore and the absurdity of this corporate exercise I read this saying on a cup Debbie gave to me when Maverick was born:

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

I am drinking from that cup this morning and am glad the cup is in my hand instead of on a shelf in my office.